Neck gator

ABSTRACT

A gator for use by motorcyclists to protect them during cycling. The gator is in the form of a membrane having an upper region, middle region and bottom region, the upper region having a connection strip for removably connecting the gator to a motorcyclist&#39;s helmet and when connected to the helmet, residing proximate the chin of the motorcyclist. The middle region is characterized as having an elasticized segment for gathering the membrane proximate the neck when worn by a motorcyclist and the bottom region being sized to flare out from the middle region to reside upon the shoulders and upper chest when worn by a motorcyclist.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention involves a gator for use by motorcyclists toprotect them from the elements while cycling. Specifically, the presentgator is ideally impervious to rain and other elements likely to beencountered by a motorcyclist during inclement weather and is sized,positioned and constructed in such a way as to provide a comfortablealmost custom fit encouraging a motorcyclist to use the gator of thepresent invention to the exclusion of competing commercial products.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is not surprising that others have suggested skirts or similarflexible membranes to extend below a motorcyclist's helmet to protectthe cyclist from wind, rain and flying debris. Although a helmetprovides adequate head protection from such foreign matter and asuitably sized leather jacket will do the same for a rider's torso,there exists a portion of the anatomy, principally at or below the chinand above the mid chest region of a rider that, in the best case, wouldreceive the direct impact of wind and rain making the riding experienceless pleasant and in a worse case become the target of flying road bornedebris that is capable of inflicting significant injury.

An example of such a helmet skirt can be found in the disclosure of U.S.Pat. No. 3,825,952. Although this skirt has been disclosed for thebetter part of a quarter of a century, it has not been universallyadopted for simply the loosely draping fabric would tend to wrap aboutthe user's neck and flap and buffet in the wind causing noise anddistraction.

Another approach has been suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,042,976 in theform of a rigid shield extending the lower peripheral edge of a helmetfor engagement with a connecting strip sewn into a jacket or similargarment. Such a shield arrangement is highly restrictive and wouldcertainly not be adopted by a motorcyclist given any feasible option.

Yet another approach has been suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,749 inthe form of a collar extending down from a helmet somewhat suggestive ofa cervical collar used by one suffering a neck injury. Again, such acollar would be not generally employed by a motorcyclist if given theopportunity to adopt a more user-friendly protective membrane.

In light of the limitations of devices suggested by the prior art, it isnot surprising that most motorcyclists have decided to reject suchoptions thus risking discomfort and even injury as an alternative.

It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a gator forprotecting a motorcyclist's chin, neck and upper chest regions which ismuch more comfortable to employ than those of the prior art and are thusmore likely to be adopted for use by motorcyclists, generally.

This and further objects will be more readily apparent when consideringthe following disclosure and appended claims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention involves a gator for use by motorcyclists toprotect a motorcyclist's neck and chest during cycling. The gatorcomprises a membrane having an upper region, middle region and bottomregion, said upper region having a connection strip for removablyconnecting the gator to a motorcyclist's helmet and when connected tosaid helmet, residing proximate the chin of the motorcyclist. The middleregion is characterized has having an elasticized segment for gatheringsaid membrane proximate to the neck when worn by a motorcyclist and saidbottom region being sized to flare out from said middle region to resideupon the cyclist's shoulders and upper chest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the gator of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the gator of FIG. 1 depicting its substantiallycylindrical form during implementation.

FIG. 3 is a front plan view of the gator of the present invention shownappended to a motorcyclist's helmet for use herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning first to FIG. 1, gator 10 is shown as a substantially planarmembrane laid flat against a supporting surface in the plane of thepaper. Gator 10 is provided with three basic regions, namely, upperregion 1, middle region 2 and bottom region 3.

Upper region 1 is provided with connection strip 8 preferably in theform of a strip of hook and loop fastener sewn, adhered or otherwiseappended to first edge 31 defining the edge of upper region 1.Alternatively, strip 8 could be replaced by snaps or a zipper matingwith similar attachment means located at the bottom edge of helmet 20shown as hook and loop strip 41 (FIG. 3). In the embodiment as shown, itis quite apparent that connection strip 8 in the form of a hook and loopstrip is sized and positioned to engage hook and loop strip 41 appendedto motorcycle helmet 20 as shown in FIG. 3.

Turning once again to FIG. 1, gator 10 is further provided with middleregion 2 having an elasticized segment for gathering membrane material.In this illustration, elasticized cords 7 define the substantial outerboundary of middle region 2 creating a gathered membrane 16therebetween. When in use, middle region 2 will reside approximate theneck of a motorcyclist to enhance a degree of comfort and ease ofmovement unavailable from gators currently being marketed.

Finally with regard to FIG. 1, gator 10 is provided with bottom region 3which, ideally, has a plurality of gussets 6 to provide the membranewith a flared periphery to enhance the gator comfortably fitting overthe shoulders and upper chest of a motorcyclist beneath an outer garmentsuch as a leather jacket.

Membrane material constituting the present gator should be impervious torain and wind resistance. An ideal fabric for constituting the presentmembrane is Gortex® which is a breathable fabric and yet waterresistant. The membrane could also be made of, for example, leatherwhich is again breathable and yet resistant to climatic conditions.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 2 and 3 in order to provide an additionalappreciation for the present invention and its use in conjunction with amotorcycle helmet. As previously noted, gator 10 can be laid flat toprovide a substantially planar orientation (FIG. 1). In consideringgator 10, it is noted that the membrane is provided with a first edge 31defining the edge of the region 1 and a second edge 34 defining bottomregion 3. The membrane is also provided with third and fourth edges 32and 33, respectively, which extends substantially perpendicularly tofirst edge 31 and second edge 34.

In employing the present invention, gator 10 is applied to helmet 20 bymating hook and loop strip 8 to corresponding hook and loop strip 41. Asgator 10 wraps around the substantially circular lower edge of helmet20, edges 32 and 33 join one another enabling hook and loop strip 9 tojoin hook and loop strip 15 once helmet 20 has been securely positionedon the head of a motorcyclist. As such, gator 10 wraps about themotorcyclist chin, neck and shoulder regions by fastening strip 9 tostrip 15 when in place. By doing so, the motorcyclist need not be forcedto slip his or her head within a closed or cylindrical gator membranewhich could prove troublesome particularly in confronting middle region2 and its elasticized elements 7 and 8 and gathered membrane 16. Whenremoving the membrane from the upper torso and head region of amotorcyclist, one would simply reverse the process by first disengagingconnecting strips 9 and 15 to open gator 10 thus facilitating removal ofhelmet 20.

To summarize, the present invention is intended attach to a full facehelmet 20 including visor 22 and optional air vents 21. Previouslydescribed skirted helmet made the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,952 istaught to merely attach to an existing helmet and allow to drape over amotorcyclist's shoulders. Excess material wraps around a user's neck andwill flap and buffet in the wind and cause considerable wind noise andannoyance to a wearer. By providing elasticized middle region 2, excessmaterial is gathered (element 16 of FIG. 1) to closely conform to auser's neck, such articulation making it more rigid to eliminatebuffeting and noise. Making the protective element more rigid, such asthat disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,749, results in a device which isintended to be worn outside of a rider's clothing with no attachment tothe clothing itself. By design, the '749 device will allow wind andnoise from the environment to reach the rider. By being made of astiffer material, it will clearly be more cumbersome and lesscomfortable to the rider and also make it more difficult for amotorcyclist to look to the rear thus increasing the dangers inherent inmotorcycle riding.

By providing gathered material 16 within middle region 2, restrictionsin head movement inherent in prior art gators has been substantiallyeliminated. Elasticizing middle region 2 facilitates gator 10 to closelyhug or conform to the neck of a rider. This articulation makes the neckarea resistant to wind by design and also allows more freedom ofmovement for riders than currently available and previously suggestedproducts. Further, adding multiple gussets 6 to bottom region 3 allowsgator 10 to flare out and sit more comfortably on the wearer's shouldersand again, facilitate more freedom of movement.

Elasticizing middle region 2 also facilitates gator 10 being worn undera rider's outer garments without inhibiting the rider's ability to turnhis or her head freely. This also enables gator 10 to follow the shapeof the rider more closely thus reducing the surface area exposed to windand rain and thus reducing forces of nature on a rider and noisereaching the rider. This, in turn, facilitates a wider use of helmetintercoms or blue tooth devices as wind noise is substantiallyeliminated within the rider's helmet.

As is clearly obvious from reviewing FIG. 3, gator 10, once properlyinstalled in conjunction with a motorcycle helmet, is of a contour thatclosely conforms to the rider's torso in transitioning from a rider'schin, through his or her neck and ending in the shoulder area. Thisclose contour eliminates large pockets of air thus enhancing the presentgator's ability to warm more rapidly in capturing warmth from themotorcyclist and to remain at body temperature. An optional ventilationsystem such as shown in FIG. 3 as elements 21 can be used to preventfogging as the heat from the neck region of a rider rises and is cooledby the cool air injected through helmet vents. This also helps toprevent the overheating of a rider.

Aesthetically, it is proposed that the present invention will be foundto be more appealing to riders than comparable products of the priorart. By shaping middle region 2 the gator 10 appears to be morefashionable than other such products and can be made of thinnermaterials causing less fatigue to the wearer.

1. A gator for use by those wearing full face protective helmets toprotect a user's neck and chest during use, said gator comprising amembrane having an upper region, middle region and bottom region, saidupper region having a connection strip for removably connecting thegator to said helmet and when connected to said helmet, residingproximate the chin of a user, only said middle region beingcharacterized as having an elasticized segment for gathering saidmembrane proximate the neck when worn by said user and said bottomregion being sized to flare out from said middle region to reside uponthe shoulders and upper chest when worn by a user.
 2. The gator of claim1 wherein said connection strip comprises a hook and loop fastener sizedand positioned to engage a hook and loop strip appended to the helmetproximate its bottom edge.
 3. The gator of claim 1 wherein said membraneis substantially impervious to rain.
 4. The gator of claim 1 whereinsaid membrane comprises a breathable fabric.
 5. The gator of claim 1wherein said membrane comprises leather.
 6. The gator of claim 1 whereinsaid membrane comprises a substantially planar sheet having a first edgedefining the edge of said upper region, a second edge defining saidbottom region, said planar sheet having third and fourth edgessubstantially perpendicular to said first and second edge capable ofbeing releaseably attached to one another to transform said planarmembrane to one that is substantially cylindrical for encasing the neckregion of a user during use.
 7. The gator of claim 6 wherein said thirdand fourth edges support strips of hook and loop fasteners for removablyattaching said edges to one another.
 8. The gator of claim 1 whereinsaid bottom region is provided with a plurality of gussets to increasethe flare of the membrane.